Tadka (also called tarka, chhaunk, baghar, or phodni depending on the regional language) — the blooming of whole spices in hot fat before or after cooking — is the defining technique of Indian cooking and one of the oldest documented culinary techniques in the world. The Mānasollāsa (12th century) documents it; the 3,000-year-old Vedic texts reference it. Every Indian regional tradition practices it; none can be understood without it.
The complete tadka system — timing, sequence, fat selection, and spice activation.
INDIAN CULINARY TRADITION — DEEP EXTRACTION